Unique Money Saving Wedding Planning Ideas And Tips To Help Bride’s Stick To Their Wedding Budget

21 July

Unique Money Saving Wedding Planning Ideas And Tips To Help Bride’s Stick To Their Wedding Budget

Everyone wants to save money when planning their wedding. Brides want their wedding to be unique but spending $40,000 or more on your reception party is out of reach for most brides. Over the past 25 years in the wedding industry, we’ve seen some great money saving ideas. Most of these weddings were more personal and memorable than a typical cookie cutter wedding.

Here are some wedding planning ideas:

CEREMONY:

If you have your ceremony in the same location as your reception, you can save on flowers and transportation costs.
Ask one of your friends or family members to officiate your ceremony. Many states allow for a 1 day justice of the peace license to allow this.
Do you know someone that plays an instrument or sings? Maybe they can play your entrance and exit song for the wedding ceremony?

RECEPTION VENUE:

The choice of wedding reception venue will make or break your budget. This one decision has the greatest impact on it. ($100 per person venue v. a $75 per person venue equates to a $3750 difference with just 150 guests)
Opting for a more unique venue (Museum, Barn, Vineyard, Bowling Alley, etc.) can go a long way in creating a unique wedding and reducing the per person cost of your reception
If you curb your appetite for the highest price venue for your wedding reception, you could have money left in your budget for better entertainment, event lighting or architectural up-lighting that would go a long way is providing a better overall experience for your guests
Choosing a station meal v. a sit down meal can also reduce the per person cost of your wedding
Of course, you can reduce your guest count – If instead of inviting 150 guests, you limit it to 100 guests, you could save 33% off the venue bill (the largest portion of your budget goes to the reception/catering)
Reducing the size of your wedding party will also save money on dresses, gifts, transportation

TABLE CENTERPIECES:

Candles v. floral wedding centerpieces is a great way to save
Table centerpieces can sometimes be done as a Do-It-Yourself project to better personalize your wedding
Use family photos or name tables after vacations that you’ve taken or books that you’ve read. Use vintage albums and name tables after musical groups
Take a simple glass vessel and fill it with fruit matching your wedding colors

THINGS YOU CAN SKIP COMPLETELY:

The wedding cake – use cup cakes or sheet cakes instead
Have a candy bar instead of the wedding cake ($300 worth of candy and containers v. $800 cake)
Ice sculpture – does anyone really care?
Wedding favors – most of these are thrown away in the car trash on the way home anyways
Disposable cameras – no one uses film anymore. Why waste your money?
Videographer – how many times will you watch the video of your wedding? Many photographers now are offering to video tape (using their HD ready digital cameras) certain portions of your wedding reception and exchange of vows.

BE UNIQUE

Why use round tables when you can use rectangular tables? All the wedding shows are using long tables. Many facilities already own the tables, you just have to ask them to set the room differently.
Think about your floor plan – by changing the floor plan, you can transform the room into something different. Make a lounge area. Move where the band sets up. Simple changes like this can make a dramatic change in feel without altering your budget at all
Change the order of events – have your cocktail hour BEFORE your ceremony. Extend your cocktail hour. Have guests dance between courses. Stage your toasts at the end of dinner. All of these are FREE – but can make your wedding unique for both you and your guests.
Design a “Signature Drink” with your venue – make sure it is a COLOR that goes with your wedding color pallet.
Use lighting to accent the architecture or décor in your venue. A small expense in lighting can go a long way in making your venue look more expensive than it really is

We all have to live within our budget. Wedding planning is not any different – set a realistic wedding budget and decide what is most important to you on your wedding date. For some brides, photography is most important, so paying a little more for the photographer of your choice is the right choice. For some wedding couples, the entertainment is most important. For others, the food is of utmost importance. Your wedding budget should reflect these decisions. Saving money when you are planning your wedding is important. Spending your money wisely is priceless. Using some of these wedding tips and tricks can save you thousands of dollars off your wedding budget and might just make your wedding unique and more personal at the same time. Keep your wedding budget in check and have the wedding of your dreams at the same time.

If you would like to have us at your upcoming event or wedding, please checkout our website at www.robalberti.com or request further information and we can check our availability and put together a formal quote for you. CONTACT US NOW FOR FREE INFORMATION.

Remember, we offer wedding disc jockey entertainment, iphotography, photo booth rental, Sweet 16 and Prom DJs, Wedding uplighting, architectural event lighting, up-lighting and a/v rental services including ipod wedding rentals for all types of events in the New England areas including Newport, Providence, Boston, Western Mass, The Berkshires, Hartford, New Haven, CT Shoreline, & Fairfield County.

Rob Alberti, event director & lighting designer
Rob Alberti’s Event Services, DJ & Lighting
Serving the Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island areas
800 782 3033 or Email Us at [email protected]

Transforming space, light & sound…

Check out our other websites: www.audiovideorental.net , www.budgetentertainment.net , www.afterhoursdj.net , www.weddinginsider.net

Money saving wedding tips wedding planning tips on a budget

Blog